Poland’s Śląsk (Silesia) Border Guard unit has again turned its attention to the booming temporary-staffing sector. During an 11 February inspection in Nysa County the officers discovered 32 Philippine nationals and six Colombians assembling components on a factory floor even though none of them held the residence-and-work permits required for third-country citizens.
According to the official communiqué, the workers had been ‘leased’ to the plant by an employment agency that failed to secure the legally binding work authorisations. Investigators therefore issued 37 return-orders giving the migrants 30 days to leave the Schengen area and imposing a one-year re-entry ban. One additional case is still pending.
![Polish Border Guard fines Opole employer after 38 foreign workers found without permits]()
For employers and individual contractors who want to ensure their paperwork is watertight, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) offers end-to-end assistance with Polish visas, residence cards and work-permit applications, helping clients stay compliant and avoid costly enforcement actions.
The Opole raid is part of a wider national compliance drive: since 1 January the Silesian Border Guard has handed down more than 300 deportation decisions. Employers face administrative penalties of up to PLN 30,000 (about EUR 6,900) per infringed worker, while agencies risk losing the right to place staff.
For global mobility managers the case underscores two recurring pain-points in Poland: long processing times for voivodeship work-permits and a thriving grey market for “body-leasing” staff. Companies are advised to carry out due-diligence on subcontractors, keep copies of all work authorisations on site and audit time-and-attendance logs. Failure to do so can halt production lines, invalidate posted-worker A1 certificates and damage reputations with Polish labour inspectors.
According to the official communiqué, the workers had been ‘leased’ to the plant by an employment agency that failed to secure the legally binding work authorisations. Investigators therefore issued 37 return-orders giving the migrants 30 days to leave the Schengen area and imposing a one-year re-entry ban. One additional case is still pending.
For employers and individual contractors who want to ensure their paperwork is watertight, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) offers end-to-end assistance with Polish visas, residence cards and work-permit applications, helping clients stay compliant and avoid costly enforcement actions.
The Opole raid is part of a wider national compliance drive: since 1 January the Silesian Border Guard has handed down more than 300 deportation decisions. Employers face administrative penalties of up to PLN 30,000 (about EUR 6,900) per infringed worker, while agencies risk losing the right to place staff.
For global mobility managers the case underscores two recurring pain-points in Poland: long processing times for voivodeship work-permits and a thriving grey market for “body-leasing” staff. Companies are advised to carry out due-diligence on subcontractors, keep copies of all work authorisations on site and audit time-and-attendance logs. Failure to do so can halt production lines, invalidate posted-worker A1 certificates and damage reputations with Polish labour inspectors.
